Grain-elevator



(No Model.)

W. W AT S ON.

GRAIN BLBVATOB..

I vtt/16217607, A mm Patented Aug. '7, 1883.

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l NITED STATES ,PATENT Enron.

WILLIAM WATSON,YOF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

GRAIN-ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 282,812, dated August7, 1883.

Application led March 26, 1883. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WATSON, of iWIemphis, in the county ofShelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grain-Elevators; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification.

My invention .relates to certain new and use- 'ful improvements ingrainelevators, and has reference more particularly to the meansemployed for obtaining access to the interiorof the bins for the usualwell-known purposes, and to the means for eecting the discharge of thecontents of the bins.

Previous to my invention it has been customary in the construction ofgrain-elevators to have the bins entirely closed at their lower ends andin the vicinity thereof, with the eX- ception of the discharge orificeand valve used for the purpose of drawing off the grain, and to have thebins provided with ladders or ladder-like rungs arranged at the verticalcorners of the bins, and extending from the top to the bottom of thelatter, for the purpose of permitting the descent of an attendant orworkman from the top of the bin tothe bottom. Such construction of thebins and such mode of access to their lower ends has of course involvednot only the necessary eX- pense of the ladderlike structuresreferredto, but has also involved an unnecessary amount of time andlabor on the part of the attendants and workmen, besides more or lessrisk or danger whenever it has been necessary for the attendant todescend to the bottom of the bin for the purpose of examination thereof,cleaning out the same, &c.

I propose to overcome these objections to the bins as heretoforeconstructed, and avoid all unnecessary expense of time and risk ofdanger by providing means for the free entrance to and exit from ,thebins at the Vicinity of their lower ends or bottoms; and to this mainend and object my invention consists, primarily, in the construction ofthe bins of an elevator with doors near their lower portions,

' arranged, preferably, to open inwardly, and

hinged at their upper sides for the purpose of access to the bins whenthey may be empty for cleaning` out the bins, and for such otherpurposes as it may be desirable to have the workmen enter the bins for.

Previous to my invention it has been cus\ 55 means provided for thispurpose have, so far as my knowledgeextends, been such that theattendant could not, at pleasure and with any definiteness, regulate theamount of flow or quantity of grain desired to be discharged from anyparticular bin lfor the purpose of effecting a definite admixture ofdifferent kinds of grain which it might be desired to drawsimultaneously from diiierent bins into a common receptacle.

My invention consists, secondarily, in providi ng bins of agrain-elevator with dischargevalvesv and suitable means connectedtherewith by which the attendant can perfectly gage or regulate the iiowor discharge from any one of the binsfand by which he can, therefore,effect a given mixture of grains from two or more bins for the purposeof discharging into a common receptacle for transportation what areknown, for instance, as high-mixture and low-mixture corn, &c. f

To enable those skilled in the art to whic my improvements relate tomake and use grain; elevators embracing the same, I will now proceed tomore fully describe my invention, referring by letters of reference tothe accompanying drawings, which make a part of this specification, andin which I have illustrated so muchof a grain-elevator as it isnecessary should be shown for the purpose of fully eX- plaining my saidinvention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is. a partial vertical section of agrain-elevator made according to my present invention. Fig. 2 is apartial vertical section taken in a plane at right angles to the planeof section of Fig. l, and designed, principally, to show the arrangementof the discharge-valves of the bins and the means by which the flow ofgrain may be regvulated by the attendant for mixing grains fromdifferent bins. y

In the several figures the same part will be grain from the bins.

found designated by the same letter of reference.

A represents `the bins of a grain-elevator, constructed in about theusual manner, except that no ladder-like means are provided for thedescent into the bins from their open tops of the attendant or workman.K

B is a door hinged at its upper edge or side, as illustrated, andadapted to open inwardly after the fashion of a trap-door, and arrangednear the bottom of the bin and conveniently to the first floor, C, ofthe building, so that the workmen can from that iioor conveniently enterthe bin when empty for the purpose of inspection, cleaning the bin, teThe door B may be fastened by any suitable appliance, and is arranged soas to close .from within against the interior surface of the wall of thebin, so that when the latter is fullthe pressure of the contents tendsto keep the said door always closed.

D are the valvular devices or dischargeslides, the opening and closingof which, respectively, permit and estop the fiow of the These valves orslides, as shown in the present instance, are arranged below theplatform E, upon which walk or stand the workmen employed on the firstfioor of the building for manipulating the drawing off of the grain fromthe different bins into any ofthe desired receptacles. Each of said valves or slides is provided, as shown, with a vertical bar or rod, E,formed with notches or'serrations F, and with a handle at its upper end,and by the movement of this bar up or down the workman is enabledthereby to open or close, to any desired extent, the valvular slide D.The notches along the bar E engage with the iioor on which the workmanstands, and hold the slide-valve up in the position desired, as shown,and it will be seen that by means o f these notches the workman can at aglance understand whether the valve is adj usted or set so as to openthe discharge-aperture to the extent of one-quarter or one-half, or moreor less, of its whole capacity.

Of course any other suitable means than that shown may be employed foropening and closing the slide-valve of each bin, and, if deemedexpedient, the series of appliances for opening and closing the valvesmay have arranged Vin connection wit-h them some device or devices bywhich the operator can manipulate the valves at some point distant fromtheir locality. Having this knowledge as to the eX- tent towhich any oneor more of the bin-valves may be open, he will know, of course, in theevent of effecting a discharge from two or more bins at the same timeinto a common receptacle, exactly in what proportions the contents ofsuch bins are being discharged relatively,

and by means of the facility thus aiforded he can, it will be seen, openand close and regulate the discharge-valves of two or more bins,

so as to discharge into a common receptacle and in a mixed conditiongrains of -different qualities taken from different bins.

It will be understood, of course, that in carrying out my invention withreference to the use of doors near the lower ends of the bins, -7o theprecise arrangement, construction, and operation of such doors may bevaried without departing from the novel particular of constructionforming the subject-matter of this part of my invention, the gist ofwhich rests in 7 5 the idea of the employment, in combination with thebins, of some suitable means for permitting ingress to and egress fromthe bottoms of the bins without the necessity of any ladder-like devicewithin the bins, and without 8o having to enter the bins from theirupper ends.

It will also be understood with reference to the second part of myinvention thatthe same may be carried out under various modifications,and by means varying in the details of construction from those which Ihave herein shown and described, the pith of my invention in thisparticular consisting, essentially,

in the use and combination, with the dischargegates ofthe bins of agrain-elevator, of suitable 9o means by the use of which the workmen orattendants may perfectly regulate the flow or discharge of grain fromeach of two or more bins, relatively, for the purpose of mixing in anydesired proportions in a common receptacle grains of different qualitiesstored in separate bins.

Having now so fully explained the nature and operation of myimprovements in grainelevators that any one skilled in the art can Iooreadily understand and practice my invention, what I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I l. In agrain-elevator, the use, in combination with the bins, of doors locatednear the lower ends of the bins, in substantially the manner and for thepurposes set forth.

2. In combination with the bins of an elevator and the discharge-valvesof said bins, f suitable means by the use of which the work- I 1o men orattendants can, without visual observation of the valves, set the latterso as to effect the discharge of the grain' from two or more bins at thesame time vin any desired proportions, substantially as described, andfor the purposes specified. l

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set' Y my hand this 23d day ofFebruary, 1883.

VILLIAM VATSON.

In presence of- A I F. P. Pos'roN, IV. K. PosrroN.

